but he didn't. He leaned closer to her as she lay on the bed, and she raised her arms to him. He held her very tight and felt the warmth of her body in his arms. “I love you, darling. I'm sorry you went through all that alone, without telling me. You should have told me two years ago.”
“You'd have hated me for it.” Her voice was muffled by his shoulder and her sobs.
“Never. Not then and not now. I could never do anything but love you. And I respect you for telling me about this now. You didn't have to. You could have hidden it. I would never have known.”
“No, but I would. And I had to know what you thought.”
“I think the whole thing has been an agony for everyone. Now, do what you can about it, and then let it go. Drop it from your thoughts, your heart, your conscience. It's over. And we have a new life to begin. We have a right to that life. You've paid dearly for everything you've had. You don't have to punish yourself for anything. We're going to get married, and go away, and live our life. Let them work out their own.”
“Do I really have a right to that?” She looked younger again when he looked into her face.
“Yes, my love, you do.” And then he kissed her, gently at first, and then hungrily. To hell with Michael and the girl and all of it. He wanted Marion, with her good and her bad, her genius and her outrageousness, all of it. “And now, you are going to forget about all this, and go to sleep, and tomorrow we are going to sit down and plan the wedding. Start thinking about sensible things like what kind of dress to order and who's to do the flowers. Is that clear?”
She looked up at him and laughed.
“George Calloway, I love you.”
“It's a good thing, because if you didn't, I'd marry you anyway. Nothing would stop me now. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.” They were beaming at each other when the nurse finally stuck her head into the room. It was one in the morning. And special instructions from the doctor or no, he had to leave. George nodded that he understood, and with a gentle kiss, a touch on the hand, and a smile that nothing could have dimmed, he reluctantly left the room. And in her bed, Marion felt enormously relieved. He loved her anyway. And George had restored a little of her own faith in herself. And then with a look at the clock, she decided to give Michael a call. Maybe she could do something about all that right now. To hell with the time difference. She didn't have a moment to waste. None of them did. She turned to the phone in the darkened room and dialed his apartment in New York. It took him four rings to find the phone and answer groggily with a muffled 'llo?
“Darling, it's me.”
“Mother? Are you all right?” He quickly switched on the light and tried to force himself awake.
“I'm fine. I have something to tell you.”
“I know. I know. George told me.” He yawned and smiled at the phone and then blinked at the clock. Jesus. It was five o'clock in the morning in New York. Two in San Francisco. What the hell was she doing up, and where was her nurse? “Did you accept?”
“Of course. Both his proposals. I'm even going to retire. More or less.” Michael laughed at her last words. That sounded like her. George was going to have his hands full, but he was pleased for the two of them. “But I'm calling about something else.” She sounded very businesslike and firm, and he groaned. He knew the tone.
“Not business at this hour. Please!”
“Nonsense. There is no hour for business. I wanted to tell you that I saw that girl.”
“What girl?” His mind was a blank. It had been an incredible day. Three meetings, five appointments, and the news that his mother had had another seizure, alone in San Francisco.
“The photographer, Michael. Wake up.”
“Oh. Her. So?”
“We want her.”
“We do?”
“Absolutely. I can't pursue it now. George would have my head. But you can.”
“You must be kidding. I have too much to do. Let Ben handle it.”
“She already turned him down. And she's a young woman with style, intelligence, and character. She is not going to deal with underlings.”
“She sounds like a pain in the ass to me.”
“That's how